Butte County Water and
Resource Conservation
Water & Resource
Conservation
Our Mission
To Manage and Conserve Water and
Other Resources for the Citizens of Butte
County
Butte County
Department of Water and
Resource Conservation
308 Nelson Avenue
Oroville, CA 95965-3302
Phone (530)538-4343
Fax (530)538-3807
Email: [email protected]
What the Department
Does to Protect and
Conserve Water
Resources
 Protecting Groundwater
through
some of the strongest policies and
programs in California
Our Goals
 Ensure an abundant and sustainable
water supply to support Butte County’s
economy, environment and communities
 Effectively manage groundwater resources to ensure a long-term water
supply for Butte County
http://www.buttecounty.net/waterandresource/
 Monitoring and Evaluating Groundwater Conditions to track trends in
groundwater elevation, water quality
and subsidence
 Supporting
Sustainable
Water
Supplies for the long term health of
our communities, economy and environment
 Promote water conservation as an imSTAFF
Paul Gosselin
Director
Vickie Newlin
Assistant Director
Christina Buck
Water Resources Scientist
Lynne Pillus
Administrative Assistant, Sr.
portant part of a long-term and sustainable water supply.
 Improve the utilization of the State
 Advocating for the preservation of
Area of Origin statutory protections
and other established surface water
rights.
Water Project Table A allocation
 Working Cooperatively throughout
 Support Area of Origin and existing
water rights
the region because we share a common watershed and groundwater basins. Advancing education and outreach because a well-informed public
strengthens our ability to sustain our
water resources through forums such
as the Northern Sacramento Valley
Water Forum
Protecting and Managing
Groundwater
Monitoring, Evaluating
and Reporting
Butte County’s groundwater is one
of its most precious resources and
critical to the County’s economy,
communities
and
environment.
Butte County has a comprehensive
set of policies and programs that
protect groundwater including:
Protecting and conserving water resources must be based on factual,
scientific information.
Groundwater Conservation
Ordinance (Chapter 33
of the Butte County
Code) is a referendum passed
by
voters in 1996. It
requires any water
transfer outside of
the county which
involves groundwater to be subject to a permit which involves evaluation of impacts, public
review and County approval.
Butte County Groundwater Management Plan adopted in 2005 established
the County’s approach to protect
groundwater resources on a cooperative basis with input from stakeholders.
Butte County General Plan 2030 includes a Water Resource Element and
other policies and goals to sustain
groundwater and other natural resources.
Tracking groundwater conditions is integral
to water resource planning. Over 100 wells
are monitored four times a year. Water
from key wells is analyzed to detect saline
intrusion or other water chemistry changes.
Devices for the detection of land subsidence have also been installed.
Basin Management Objectives (BMO)
Program (Chapter 33a) provides a scientifically-based approach to evaluate groundwater conditions in specific areas. The
Technical Advisory Committee reviews
groundwater data and provides recommendations for improvements on an annual basis. Through the Water Advisory Committee, the BMO program fosters communication with local stakeholders on groundwater
conditions.
Continuing Scientific Investigations are
necessary to improve the understanding of
our complex water resources with the goal
of improving decisions to assure the sustainability of our communities, economy and
environment.
Accessibility to data and information on
Butte County’s water resources is provided
through the Department’s website.
Supporting Sustainable
Water Supplies
Working Cooperatively
Regionally and Beyond
Butte County actively supports regional coordination of water resources and advocates for the County’s water resource interests.
Butte County supports efforts to sustain
water supplies for communities, agriculture and people. The Department:
 Manages the Butte County’s State Water Project Table A allocation so it will be
an asset for future generations.
Northern Sacramento Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
(NSVIRWMP) is being developed for
Butte, Glenn, Tehama, Colusa, Shasta
and Sutter Counties. The NSVIRWMP
will establish the region’s water resource
goals and priorities.
State and Federal Water Policies can
affect the sustainability of our water resources. The Department actively engages in the California Water Plan, the
Delta Plan, and monitors potential
legislation.
 Promotes Water Use Efficiency through
public education.
 Supports Local Water Supply Projects
through partnerships with local water
agencies and groups. The Department
has brought in more than $9 million in
grants to support local projects since
2002
▀ Subscribe to the monthly WaterSolutions
Newsletter. Call us at (530)538-4343 or
email us at [email protected]
▀ Butte County Water Commission is the
principle advisory body for the Board of
Supervisors on water issues. The Water
Commission meets the first Wednesday
of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Board of
Supervisors Chambers.